Ataanaa

Ataana is a raga used mainly in concerts. It is considered to be a very catchy raga that gives a stage flavor for a musician when everything is going dull in a concert. It stimulates the audience by its qualities of Veeram, Bakthi rasam.
Ataana is a kind of raga where the arohana and avarohana are not strictly followed. First this was thought to be under 29th Melakartha Sankarabharanam with ga1 and ni1 as two annyaswaras (alien swara). But now it has been broadly agreed to be under 22nd Melakartha Karaharapriya with ni2 as the single annyaswara. When it was under Sankarabharanam the prayoga "ga2 ma1 ri2 sa" was used predominantely. But this has died as the time went off. As I said earlier the arohana-avarohana is not very strict here but one perception is: arohana: sa ri2 ma2 pa ni1 sa, and avarohana: sa da2 pa ma1 ri2 ma1(ga1) ri2 sa.
The ni2 (kakali nishatham) comes as annyaswara in certain prayogams but it does not exist in the arohana-avarohana. Some of the prayogams in which ni2 comes are sa ni2 da2, ri2 sa da2. In ri2 sa da2 in between singing sa and da2 we touch ni2 and come to da2. This gives a nice flavour to ataana. This also gives the Bhasanga status to the raga. Ri2 and da2 are most dheera swaras for this raga. "ga1" is the weak swara we can not stand in "ga1" for too long. And we can not have prayogas like "ga1 ga1 ri2 sa" as the same occurs for the raga Durbar. It should be sung as ri2 ma1 ri2 ma1 ri2 sa. Similarly the prayoga "ga1 ma1 ri2 sa" also occurs in Kaanada. But in the midst of other prayogas it does not give any flavor of Kaanada even when it is sung in the same fashion. This is the main beauty of our music it looks theoretically ambiguous but nothing looks ambiguous when sung.
The prayoga da da da gives a nice touch for Ataana. In the charanam of "Balaganaga maya/Ela nee dhayaraathu" composed by Saint Thyagaraja (perhaps his first song) i.e., "ra ra dhevathi deva" it gives a real touch of softness. It is a quite interesting prayoga because mostly all the other prayogas give a bold stature to the raga but this one gives a very soft touch. I think many will agree with me. "ma1 pa ri2 sa", "pa ri2 sa da2 ... ri2 sa da2... sa da2" all very good prayogas for Ataana.

1. http://www.mediafire.com/?t0y49uecgze Baala kanakamaya - K. J. Yesudoss
2. http://www.mediafire.com/?lafvdreg3bj Baala kanakamaya - T. V. Sankaranarayanan
3. http://www.mediafire.com/?hgultwytwogSakala graha bala - Ranjani & Gayathri
4. http://www.mediafire.com/?wtbszznc9yf Thiyaagaraaja swaami - Aruna Sairam
5. http://www.mediafire.com/?9v4zyunujem Ambaa paaravthi ( aalapana) - Nithyashree
6. http://www.mediafire.com/?gz2in2mwyjt Ambaa paarvathi - Nithyashree
7. http://www.mediafire.com/?xicnkwwbm20 Baala kanakamaya - Nithyashree
8. http://www.mediafire.com/?tux40yzxdte Munnai Ilangai - Sowmya
9. http://www.mediafire.com/?ungogkm3fug Nee irangaayenil - Bombay Jayashree
10. http://www.mediafire.com/?obty05bitmt Raama naamamu - Madurai Somu
11. http://www.mediafire.com/?m3dnvj2ajtc Sri Mahaganapathim - Maharajapuram Santhanam
12. http://www.mediafire.com/?vzgiopn4bbt Sri Vaidhyanatham - Bombay Jayashree
13. http://www.mediafire.com/?metyz4xnzfc Sri raama naama - K. J. Yesudoss
14. http://www.mediafire.com/?3oog1dwbzem Anupama - Bombay Jayashree
15. http://www.mediafire.com/?2mbgtaeiwdk Baala kanakamaya - Aruna Sairam
16. http://www.mediafire.com/?vmhvrbb2101 Baala kanakamaya - S. Janaki
17. http://www.mediafire.com/?2dwjntynjkw Nee irangaayenil - P. Unnikrishnan
18. http://www.mediafire.com/?22tvhnt4ljn Sri vaidhyanatham - Nithyashree
19. http://www.mediafire.com/?xm2tydbvp4o Ada Naaraayana - Sowmya
20. http://www.mediafire.com/?44xmmwwbz0y Kaala kaalan kayilai nathan - M.L. Vasanthakumari
21. http://www.mediafire.com/?w2yribogphw Madhura madhura - Aruna Sairam
22. http://www.mediafire.com/?nh2tkjnwvzm Raa raa raghuveera - Maharajapuram Santhanam
23. http://www.mediafire.com/?adtu4j3mp2u Anupama gunaambudhi - Sudha Raghunathan
24. http://www.mediafire.com/?hujwgxxaml1 Baala kanakamaya - Sowmya
25. http://www.mediafire.com/?bzmyorxswmt Ilalao pranadharthi - Bombay Jayashree
26. http://www.mediafire.com/?1t2zfnmomtd Kaala kaalan - T. V. Sankaranarayanan
27. http://www.mediafire.com/?u0wnoxmw2bh Sakala graha bala - S. P. Raamh
28. http://www.mediafire.com/?uxtyemubumt Madhura madhura - O.S. Arun
29. http://www.mediafire.com/?gxbmzxm7zuy Bhajana seyaraadha - T. N. Seshagopalan
30. http://www.mediafire.com/?mfenewt41un Sri mahaganapathim - Nithyashree
31. http://www.mediafire.com/?ppoxdtdy3xt Nee irangaayenil - M. S. Subbalakshmi
32. http://www.mediafire.com/?b950mxid21m Parama paavani - M.L. Vasanthakumari
33. http://www.mediafire.com/?unnhjo34qef Thiruvadi charnamappa - Sowmya
34. http://www.mediafire.com/?jdmezh9yufp Thyaagaraaja swaami - Ranjani & Gayathri
35. http://www.mediafire.com/?j90stmcddjv Malai mugqadu - T. M. Krishna
36. http://www.mediafire.com/?n11myzydkmw Mummoorthulu - T. M. Krishna
37. http://www.mediafire.com/?nb2i2mbetgn Naaradha gaana lola - P. Unnikrishnan
38. http://www.mediafire.com/?wtmy0qtvi4a Velli nilavinile - T. N. Seshagopalan
39. http://www.mediafire.com/?nddtgkgtu0z Nee irangaayenil - Bombay sisters
40. http://www.mediafire.com/?2b7dodz9jzu Sakalagraha bala - Bombay Jayashri
41. http://www.mediafire.com/?ygdmzmddjk2 Naarada - Balamuralikrishna
42. http://www.mediafire.com/?0ejwie1yyyf Yepappamu - T.K. Rangachari
43. http://www.mediafire.com/?wvz9nmdmwlw Ilalo pranadharthi - T. K. rangachari
44. http://www.mediafire.com/?3m7mtwthytm Baalakanaka maya - T. K. Rangachari
45. http://www.mediafire.com/?jytmy0gwtw9 Naarada gaana - T. K. Rangachari
46. http://www.mediafire.com/?2hvywcbznbd Epaapamu - T. K. Rangachari
47. http://www.mediafire.com/?metglx07zvw Baalakanakamaya - Sanjay Subramanian
48. http://www.mediafire.com/?mmo7muydzzl Gopakumara - Unknown to me ( If some body knows this artist please let me know)